"9-9-9. 9-9-9. We're doing fine," Cain told NBC News upon leaving his hotel at Hillsdale College for his speech on campus tonight.

Cain's campaign has downplayed the reassessment, framing it as a routine examination of the campaign's trajectory.

"Mr. Cain told staff simply that, just as every time significant events occur, a reassessment is prudent," deputy campaign manager Linda Hansen said this afternoon. "A good businessman looks at the entire landscape before making decisions. He is, and has been, committed to promoting the issues and solutions that will make this nation stronger. Nothing about that has changed."